


one hope then another (bring me home)

by jacksgreysays (jacksgreyson), jacksgreyson



Series: playing in the garden [2]
Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dimension Travel, Gen, Inspired by Fanfiction, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:02:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21702649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksgreyson/pseuds/jacksgreysays, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksgreyson/pseuds/jacksgreyson
Summary: Or, instead of Shikako journeying to different dimensions and saving those who need help, her friends and family are the ones who travel the multiverse to save her.(recursive fanfiction of wafflelate's The Many Gardens of Shikabane-hime and Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine. originally posted on tumblr)
Relationships: Nara Kinokawa & Nara Shikako & Nara Shikamaru, Nara Shikako & Nara Shikamaru, Nara Shikako & Yamanaka Ino
Series: playing in the garden [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1564303
Comments: 29
Kudos: 475
Collections: Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection





	1. Shippai & Hinata

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [the dark fire will not avail you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14871546) by [wafflelate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflelate/pseuds/wafflelate). 
  * Inspired by [In Which Someone Attempts to Kidnap Shikamaru, Instead](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/540670) by donahermurphy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a "what if Shikako was extremely self-sacrificing from the beginning and tricked the Cloud ambassador during his attempt to kidnap Hinata"!AU

She dodges the first blow, easy. The second, not so much, it catches her across the jaw and with it goes her sense of balance. She stumbles–not much, not enough to fall, but enough to create an opening–and a leg sweeps hers out from under her. She crashes to the ground, rocks scraping, and doesn’t even bother to get back up. Instead, she rolls, out of the way of a sword stabbed into the ground where she was just seconds ago.

She doesn’t bother to complain about the double standards going on in this fight, the teachers don’t care. Or, well, they do. But not in any way that will benefit her.

Netsui is occupied, her sword stabbed too far into the ground that now it’s stuck–if she cared at all about Netsui, she’d say something about how relying on that sword too much is more of a liability than a strength, but she doesn’t so she won’t–so that’s one combatant down, at least. Not really the one she was worried about, but one less to worry about.

Akantai is there as soon as she pops up, kick high and fast and brutal. Impressive. If it had landed, she’d have been out like a light. But it doesn’t. It leaves him vulnerable, especially without his partner to provide cover, leaves his stance too wide, weight poorly distributed. She counters with a kick of her own, low and sharp and ruthless, her force and his own mass used against him. She connects with his ankle. A snap, followed by a strangled scream, and Akantai is down.

Netsui finally pulls out her sword, ready to wield it once more, only to be met with a kunai held close and sharp to her neck. The sword is too long and unwieldy to do anything. Netsui surrenders.

“Victory to Shippai,” the teacher says with barely concealed displeasure in his voice. They’re never pleased when Shippai wins. Good. They’re the enemy.

-

The nice thing about genjutsu is that it doesn’t use a lot of chakra. If done right, if it’s small and subtle enough, it barely uses any chakra at all. What it does require is a lot of imagination, focus, and determination.

Three year old Shikako doesn’t have many tools at her disposal–what with being a three year old and all–but she does have those at least.

-

Shippai does not go back to the orphanage after classes are let out for the day. She tries not to go back to the orphanage until she absolutely needs to, either hunger or exhaustion drawing her back.

Instead she takes an extremely circuitous route around the village, shaking off her inept tails from the academy, a small hand darting out every so often to palm whatever she can reach. By the time she gets to one of her hidey-holes way in the outskirts of the village boundaries, her jacket is full of money and senbon and trinkets and food.

The perishables she eats, the senbon she hides back in her clothes, the money and trinkets she stashes for later. She doesn’t know any actual earth jutsu, but her chakra is naturally aligned that way: she sweeps a hand over her hidey-hole, the stone sliding along enough so she can add her haul from today, before she sweeps it back to close it.

Then she heads back to Hidden Cloud.

-

The Cloud ambassador successfully kidnaps a Konoha clan heiress and runs back to Land of Lightning.

The Sandaime Hokage, fearing war, does nothing.

No one dies.

The tragic thing is, this is the best outcome Shikako could think of.

-

She doesn’t have much of a range on her sensing, but what she doesn’t have in distance she makes up in detail. (Her enemies are all already so close, what does she need range for?)

It’s how she knows that the woman standing in front of her, hand pressed to her mouth in horror, is using a genjutsu. (She recognizes the feel of it.)

It’s how she knows that the woman isn’t from Cloud at all. Chakra bright and somehow translucent, like glass and crystal; fragile, still, but precise and deadly. (Some part of her feels like she should recognize it, but she’s certain she’s never met this woman before.)

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Shippai asks and the woman inhales sharply, as if wounded.

“N-no,” the woman responds, lowering to a knee so as to be on an even eye level with Shippai. (She doesn’t understand why, since it’ll be harder to react if it comes to a fight, but that’s to Shippai’s advantage so so she doesn’t say anything.)

“No,” the woman repeats, more confident this time, before she lets the genjutsu go revealing pale white Byakugan. (The part of Shippai that isn’t stunned is now especially confused as to why this woman bothered to get on eye level with her.)

“But neither are you, Shikako-chan.”


	2. Oto-hime & Ino

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oto-hime is from donahermurphy's "In Which Someone Attempts to Kidnap Shikamaru, Instead"

The little girl that Ino rescues from the snake’s den is nothing like the little girl Ino remembers from childhood.

That is to be expected.

“Five years,” Ino murmurs between her two clasped hands, verbalizing her horror, but keeping it from spreading out into the world. Keeping it from spreading to the little girl sleeping in an eerily still and silent curve on Ino’s spare bedroll. “He had her for five years.”

Not so long to a jounin kunoichi in her twenties, a war-hardened veteran capable of traveling through dimensions, but practically an eternity to a stolen seven year old girl. Practically everything.

The little girl that Ino rescues from the snake’s den doesn’t even respond to the name Shikako. 

Then again, Ino hasn’t needed to call the little girl by name to get her attention. The little girl is attentive not from curiosity but from wariness, quiet not from shyness but from restraint.

Ino stifles another shaky, horrified halfway sob in her hands: the perfect sound princess so well mannered out of survival.

Which is why, as they approach Konoha, little Shikako’s misbehavior becomes alarming. She drags her feet, figuratively and literally, and goes so far as to run and hide. Ino is a sensor so she can easily track down a seven year old, even a prodigy with cruel training aside, but it’s less the search and more the retrieval that is the problem.

“What’s wrong, Shikako-chan?” Ino asks, because any opportunity to reinforce her real name is not to be ignored. She approaches in a crouch to physically get on her level, gets close to little Shikako’s chosen hiding spot, but doesn’t breach it. “We’re going to Konoha,” she says, “Your family are still there, there’s a place for you.”

Ino doesn’t bring up how they still think little Shikako’s dead. Ino doesn’t bring up how, because of her prolonged contact with the snake, she’ll have to spend months if not years being vetted for brainwashing or sleeper commands. Ino definitely doesn’t bring up the likelihood that, much like Anko-senpai, little Shikako will never be completely trusted by the village that had failed to protect her.

“Not safe,” little Shikako says, voice placid and controlled, but she shakes her head once, twice, and she may as well be crying, “They’re not safe.”

Ino’s heart breaks, “Your family are good and kind, Shikako-chan, they wouldn’t do anything bad to you,” she says, then considers how that may not be what she meant. “They love you, Shikako-chan, they wouldn’t lose you,” she tries, reassuringly, “No one will take you again.”

But it’s not reassuring enough, still not right, because little Shikako shakes her head again, once, twice, thrice. “They’re not safe,” she repeats, “They’re not safe from him,” she elaborates, voice hushing on the last word.

Fierce, protective anger surges within Ino, “That snake won’t be able to touch you anymore. He won’t come near you, I promise.”

Again little Shikako shakes her head, “Not Orochimaru,” she says, almost dismissive in how fearless she is voicing his name. Not what Ino expected considering the snake had her for five of her seven years of life, not what Ino would expect of the man who should be little Shikako’s greatest fear. But clearly that’s because the snake isn’t little Shikako’s greatest fear.

Little Shikako’s voice drops in volume once more, almost imperceptible even as Ino draws closer to hear, “They’re not safe from Danzou.”

—

So.

Ino is in a bit of a dilemma: her reason for being here is to rescue little Shikako and bring her home to Konoha.

But if Konoha isn’t safe for little Shikako to go home to, then Ino has to make it safe for her.

Unfortunately, Ino can’t make Konoha safe for little Shikako without going to Konoha and dealing with the problem.

But little Shikako doesn’t want to go to Konoha because it’s not safe.

Which means Ino is going to have to figure out a safe place to stash little Shikako until she can deal with the Danzou problem.

And there’s also the whole “running from the snake because someone managed to sneak into his super secret illegal village sized laboratory and steal his princess” issue.

Somewhere safe that little Shikako won’t mind waiting that can keep her out of both the snake’s clutches and Danzou’s notice.

There is no such place…

… but maybe there is such a person?

—

Ino’s not really the shallow, boy-obsessed airhead that she sometimes deploys whenever she feels like being underestimated. But that persona has to come from somewhere, and analyzing a person on their appearance isn’t an entirely useless skill to have.

That being said, Momochi Zabuza could be considered hot–in a brutish, gritty sort of way if someone were into that–if it weren’t for his deplorable taste in fashion. Seriously, stripes and cowhide?

But the child walking beside him is dressed cleanly, warmly, and pleasantly enough that Ino doesn’t mind too much. And Zabuza’s glances and gestures to little Haku whenever the boy is uncertain are gruff, yes, but not unkind.

“Really, Shikako-chan, this guy?” Ino asks, still a little skeptical. It’s one thing to remember that her Haku–handsome and composed and skilled and polite and the jinchuuriki of the Sanbi and also possibly in line to become Mizukage–was raised by Momochi Zabuza, another thing entirely to look at that grumpy disaster and think he’s the perfect caretaker for not one, but two traumatized child prodigies.

Little Shikako gazes at her without any doubt in her eyes. But she does also give a tiny shrug, as if to acquiesce that, yes, he is a strange solution to their problem but he might be the best solution to said problem.

Ino sighs, more theatrics than any real despair, before picking up little Shikako and drawing her close. Ino’s heart breaks a bit further when little Shikako stiffens in alarm, but it heals once she carefully wraps her arms around her neck and relaxes, hiding her face in Ino’s shoulder.

If this meeting goes well–and it will, Yamanaka excel at negotiations after all–then this will be the last time Ino can see little Shikako until however long it takes her to get rid of Danzou. She has to get her cuddles in now: it’s not as if Momochi Zabuza is going to be giving them away and little Shikako sorely needs them.

“Behave, okay?” Ino murmurs to little Shikako as they approach Momochi Zabuza and little Haku at the agreed upon neutral meeting place, “If I hear anything about the Mist Rebellion succeeding five years too early, I’ll know it was you.”

It’s nonsense, honestly, just something to keep little Shikako entertained, but for the first time since she met this version of her best friend, Ino hears her laugh.


	3. Kako (& Kamaru) & Shikamaru (& Kinokawa)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompted by donapoetrypassion for the ask box advent calendar event:
> 
> "Reverse!Gardens, DOS!Shikamaru & DOS!Kino and Care!Kako and Care!Kamaru: After losing his original universe to Jashin, fourteen-year-old Shikamaru doesn't take Kako's injuries from the Kumo kidnapping attempt all that well. (Bonus points baby!Kino and toddler!Kamaru bonding, or Shikamaru stubbornly holding onto the original Shadow Arm seal with Shikako's calligraphy)"

The boy with a shadow arm and a toddler on his hip is suspicious, of course. His claim is literally incredible, but what is more so impossible is how everything else he says checks out. Weeks of interviews and tests and everything still checks out.

He has mastered all of the clan’s shadow jutsu as well as newer, powerful techniques. He is the oldest son of an alternate universe Shikaku. He is every bit as intelligent, tactical, and skillful as his father was. He was raised since birth as clan heir.

A miracle, Kofuku thinks, a convenient one. Now, someone else can be in charge of the clan, and she can go back to her research.

Speaking of, “The shadow sight and your arm,” Kofuku asks the boy–Shikamaru, one of the blander clan head names, but another convenience that they don’t have to come up with one for him–“Did you create them?”

“No,” Shikamaru shakes his head, eyes never lifting from the pile of backlog paperwork that is the clan’s administration. His month of effort has put a dent in it, but the task ever grows.

The toddler by his side–Kino, not a common Nara name, but harmless enough–quietly mimics his brother, bright crayon scribbles on scratch paper. When a streak of bright red draws a bit too close to official papers, Shikamaru gently guides his brother’s hand away before resuming his own work easily.

Kofuku waits for clarification.

“My father designed shadow sight,” he says, “but my arm…” At this, Shikamaru pauses in his work. Raises his flesh hand to touch the seam between skin and shadow. His mouth tightens, and little Kino silently puts his crayons down to reach out to his brother in comfort. It works a little.

“Our sister made it for me.”

“Your sister,” Kofuku repeats, an inkling of dread making its way through her purely academic curiosity.

Shikamaru said he was the oldest son.

That doesn’t mean oldest child.

—

They weren’t lying, technically. And it’s not as if they were actively hiding the truth either.

It’s just that it’s old news, old scandal, old grudges, and why would they tell their new clan head about matters that have nothing to do with the clan?

Shikamaru clearly doesn’t agree.

He asks where the Kinokawa siblings live–the toddler called Kino on his hip, as if Shikamaru doesn’t trust the clan not to tear the child from his arms. And how could she ever consider the toddler harmless, his name!–and no one answers. Not out of a desire to hide the truth further, but because they honestly don’t know.

Why would they need to know?

Frustrated, Shikamaru walks out, brother at his side, and all Kofuku can think is: not again.

—

The boy with a shadow arm and a toddler on his hip is suspicious, of course. They both wear the Nara mon, clad in the grays and greens of the clan, and the last time Kako had to interact with her relatives in any meaningful manner they were berating her for almost endangering the bloodline and nearly causing a political scandal while she lay in a hospital bed and ignored them.

So it’s not exactly a joy to see these two, never mind their slightly off reflections of each other–her with Kamaru on her hip–would otherwise be an amusing sight.

“Shikako?” the boy with the shadow arm asks. He’s hesitant, perhaps aware of her displeasure, taken aback by her obvious frown or maybe the scars cutting across her face. In contrast, the toddler on his hip smiles brightly at her, silently reaching out.

“It’s Kako. Kako Kinokawa. You should know this, Nara.”

The boy with the shadow arm flinches, while the toddler on his hip seems to smile brighter.

How weird.

“I’m Shikamaru.”


	4. Kako & Kamaru & Shikamaru & Kinokawa (Kinokawa)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> also prompted by donapoetrypassion for the ask box advent calendar event
> 
> (it was a double response to the same prompt... a looser, reinterpretation of the prompt)

Kako Kinokawa is grudgingly released from the hospital a week after the Cloud incident poorer in patience, richer in scars, and, somehow, head of a clan. Thankfully, it’s a newly created minor clan and not the clan that would be the absolute worst (the clan that should be hers by birthright) but frankly being head of any clan is troublesome.

She goes to pick up Kamaru from the Akimichi compound–a little guilty to have imposed on Chouza-san and Setsuko-san for so long, but relieved that her little brother would certainly be well protected and well fed–only to be met with an uncomfortable amount of bowing, overly respectful suffixes, two slyly grinning pseudo-uncles, and a staring man who, for one heart-stopping second, she mistakes for Dad.

Arranged as he is between Chouza-san and Inoichi-san, it’s hard to shake the likeness, but she blinks it and the incoming tears away with teeth-gritting desperation: this man is too young to be Shikaku Kinokawa. Not enough scars, and more delicate facial features besides, one arm somehow a dark shadow from elbow down. But its close, so close. Close enough that he can only be a–

“Nara,” Kako greets coolly, hands deliberately loose at her side. Technically, given the alliance of the Ino-Shika-Cho, she’s the trespasser here, so she’s not going to be the one to start shit.

Chouza-san and Inoichi-san exchange amused glances and she would feel a lance of betrayal except for how the man between them immediately drops to a knee and so all she can feel instead is shock.

“Not quite,” the man says, and that, too, is different enough from Dad’s voice (or what she can remember of it, it’s been so long) that it keeps her grounded in the presence. “I’m not a Nara,” he says, and his stare hasn’t wavered at all since the beginning, “I’ve renounced them. I’ve chosen to be part of the Kinokawa clan.”

Reflexively, Kako denies, “There is no Kinokawa clan.”

“There wasn’t a Kinokawa clan,” Chouza-san corrects, voice ringing with mirth for all that he means to be gentle.

“Establishing a clan requires three active-duty shinobi who share a bloodline and sponsorship from two other clan heads,” Inoichi-san clarifies, practically preening.

She looks at the three of them doubtfully, “Kamaru’s a toddler. Even if I wanted this, where would we get our third?”

Coincidentally (or, perhaps more likely, with deliberately planned timing) a boy her age carrying a slothfully limp Kamaru in one arm and an affably squirming Chouji in the other approaches them, smile brighter than the shiny Konoha headband plate tied around his neck.

He, too, has a very obvious Nara look to him, though it’s tempered with something else, something she vaguely recognizes, but can’t place immediately (something she sees every time she looks in the mirror.)

“Kako-nee!” the boy exclaims with a disconcerting level of familiarity given she’s never met him in her life, he practically skips closer before, after considering the situation, taking a step back, “Oh, uh, are we doing the thing first?” He asks. 

The self proclaimed non-Nara man, still on his knees, finally breaks his gaze with her by rolling his eyes. Exasperated but fond, “Yeah, we’re doing ‘the thing’ first.”

Kako is bewildered.

The boy shrugs, the toddlers in his arms giggling at the movement, before lowering to a matching kneeling position. Kamaru and Chouji, close enough to the ground now, get their feet beneath them and waddle towards their respective guardians.

Chouza swings his son up into his arms easily, and Kako, confused but never too distracted to properly care or show affection for her brother, does the same to Kamaru.

Baffled, she can only hold her brother close and witness as her clan officially forms itself in front of her.

“I do swear,” says both of her would-be clan mates, not quite in sync, but practiced enough, “to protect my family, my team mates, the clan, those allied with us, and Konoha, I will become the bark of the tree.”

Kako has never heard the oath that new genin of the Nara clan make (why would she? She’s not a Nara) but this rings of something similar, something familiar. Something Dad used to say with furrowed brows when he couldn’t understand why the Nara were being so antagonistic:

Family is like a tree and life is like a shadow.

The shadow is what we make of it, the tree is the real thing.

Kamaru’s hands clumsily but gently bat at her face. She thinks at first it’s curiosity over her new scars, but no. It’s because she’s crying.

Because family is the real thing. The most important thing. And even if its been years and she should have gotten used to it, it still hurts that her Nara relatives don’t realize it.

But these two do. They want to be her clan. They want to be her family.

Kako closes her eyes and presses her face to Kamaru’s head, hiding her expression and holding him near and dear.

“Okay,” she says, pulling herself together. “Okay,” she repeats, “Yeah, let’s be a clan. Let’s be family.”

Her new clan mates–her new family members–get to their feet and while the boy bounces over to her immediately, the man doesn’t hesitate to draw close either.

Behind them, Chouza-san and Inoichi-san grin, relieved.

For a moment everything is, if not perfect, then as close to it as reality will allow them to get. Until–

“… what are your names?” Kako asks, far too belatedly considering she has just accepted these two into her family and newly created clan.

The boy’s smile grows, somehow, impossibly wide and full of mischief while the man sends him another heavy lidded look of fond exasperation.

In the background, Chouza-san and Inoichi-san can barely stifle their laughter.

—

(“I take it back,” Kako says, once her brain has restarted, “No more clan, I can’t allow this.”

“No take backs,” Shikamaru admonishes childishly, for all that he is the oldest of their family.

“Kinokawa Kinokawa is a great name!” Kinokawa insists, his blinding cheeriness enough to attract Kamaru’s attention. In easy toddler logic, Kamaru smiles and babbles cheerfully in response. “See,” Kinokawa says, “Even the clan heir agrees with me.”

“Kamaru, you traitor,” Kako says without any heat, “How dare you endorse this travesty.”

Kamaru pats her cheek again, “Ki-no-kawa,” he pronounces, syllables parsed out like presents.

Kako sighs, looks at her brothers, looks at the clouds in the sky, then back at her brothers. “Alright, fine. No take backs.”)


	5. Shikamaru & Kako, an honest heart is a kingdom in itself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompted by donapoetrypassion for the ask box advent calendar event:
> 
> "mens regnum bona possidet - an honest heart is a kingdom in itself (set in the Kako (& Kamaru) & Shikamaru (& Kinokawa) AU in chapter 3 of one hope then another (bring me home))"

Shikamaru has never seen her like this.

Though, to be fair, Shikamaru has technically never seen this version of his sister before today. For all that his sister and Kako Kinokawa share a face, they are as different as can be: Kako Kinokawa is harder, brow furrowed with suspicion, mouth pursed with irritation. Scars run across her face, struggle and survival almost literally written across her skin. Her chin is raised, proud and almost hostile with it, stance firm and wide.

Shikako had been shy is a child, a quiet shadow standing behind him, his little sister for all that they were the same age. Even as she grew more confident, she had been–if not softer, then more flexible than the girl in front of him. She was friendly with many, came at problems sideways, and gave others the benefit of the doubt.

Kako Kinokawa doesn’t have that luxury. She never had a brother to hide behind, never had a clan to catch her when she fell. They had the same parents, but he never lost them so young, never had to make decisions about rent and food and other mundane necessities. And for all that they mirror each other, matching toddlers in their arms, Shikamaru has never had someone as reliant on him as the younger version of himself is on her.

She couldn’t afford to spend her kindness on strangers, she had to save it for her brother.

And that’s not him.

* * *

They go to a bakery. The one that Shikamaru knows will one day be run by Akimichi Hironobu except at this point in time Hironobu-san hasn’t even married into the clan yet. Still, its an Akimichi establishment and nothing to scoff at.

Considering her animosity, Shikamaru would have thought this would be too affiliated with the Nara clan, but Kako was the one to suggest it. From the fond smile the current proprietor sends her way followed by a confused look at him, protectiveness and clan mandated respect conflicting on his face, Shikamaru figures this is as close to semi-private neutral territory as they can get.

Good. He’s glad she has someone in her corner even if it’s not their clan. His clan.

She orders and sits, he does the same, once more mirrors of each other with their respective younger brothers at their sides.

“What do you want, Nara?” Kako Kinokawa asks, still so doggedly irritated with him. Her tone is curt, her jaw tight, but when she passes a cupcake over to her little brother, her hands are gentle.

“I’m Shikamaru,” he says, same as before, and wills it to mean something to her.

If anything, her attitude worsens. “Good for you,” she says. She’s not unaware of the clan head naming convention, but she doesn’t get it. She thinks he’s been given a name to match the position, rather than having had it since birth.

“No,” he says, and this time gestures at the toddler beside her. She shifts forward in her seat protectively.

“I’m Shikamaru,” he repeats and, third time’s the charm, she gets it.

* * *

“I don’t want your pity,” Kako Kinokawa says after a lengthy conversation about altered timelines, multiple dimensions, and clan obligations. It’s the last one that angers her. Thankfully they’re relocated to the Kinokawa apartment, a small but comfy studio, where the toddlers can roam around and play.

For all that this version of his sister hasn’t had the opportunity to study sealing, she quickly grasps the concepts of dimensional travel and even accepts the fact that, in another universe, they were twins. She seems more surprised by the fact their parents are still alive than the reality jumping bit. It’s a strangely practical mindset, he’d have been lost at even understanding the idea of multiple dimensions, but then again hers is the mind that created the seal that brought him here.

“It’s not pity,” Shikamaru says, and if he’s a little impatient then so be it. He’s trying to help her and she’s being stubborn, just like before. “You’re my sister.”

She rolls her eyes, crosses her arms. “I met you today.” Try again, she doesn’t say.

“You should have been part of the Nara clan from the start. Let me fix their mistakes." 

Now she glares, this attempt so off course she doesn’t need words to refute them.

Shikamaru looks at her, this version of his sister who never had a twin to grow up beside, whose parents left before their time, who now devotes all she has to the little brother that is another version of himself.

And so he says, "I need your help.”

Third time’s the charm, it works.


End file.
